IBN H.AZM'S CONCEPT OF IJMA'. GLOSSARY

GLOSSARY

‘adālah, honesty, honourable record
‘adl, (pl. ‘udūl), an honest man, a person with an honourable record
ā h.ād (khabaru’l-wāh.id), a h.adīth (tradition) reported by one chain of authority
ah.kām, (sing. h.ukm), laws, legal judgements.
‘ālim (pr. ‘ulamā’), a scholar, a learned man, a savant
amīr (pl. umarā’), an emir, a ruler
Andalūsia, al-Andalus, Muslim Spain
arjah., preponderant
asbāb al-nuzūl (sing. sabab al-nuzūl, see below)
as.l (pl. us.ūl), basis, principle, theory (of divine law)
‘awām, laymen
bāt.in, an inner or secret meaning
Bāt.inīyah, seekers of the inner or spiritual meaning of the nas.s..
Bay‘ah, the pledge of allegiance
bayt al-māl, public treasury
d.a‘īf, weak
dalālah, indication
dalīl, prove, evidence
dhikr, a reminder; it also means remembering and mentioning, which is a technical term for the ritual recitations of the dervishes and their services
fād.il (pl. fud.ūl), eminent
faqīh (pl. fuqahā’), a jurisprudent, a jurist whose professional interest is in fiqh
far‘ (pl. furū ‘), branch, section, positive or substantive law
fard., command, an incumbent duty of religion the performance of which is obligatory
fatāwá (sing. fat wá, futwá, or futyā ), the formal legal opinions of a canon lawyer (in matters of ‘ibādāt and ah.kām)
. fat wá (see fatāwá above)
fiqh, jurisprudence in Islam
fitan, (sing. fitnah), dissension, civil strife, discord
fitnah, (see fitan above)
fud.ūl (see. fād.il above)
fuqah ā ’ (see faqīh above)
furū‘, (see far‘ above)
fut wá, (see. fatā wá above)
fut y ā , (see. fatā wá above)
h.add, fixed punishment; punishment indicated in the na s. s.
h.adīth, news, a story, and finally a technical term for the tradition of what he Prophet said, did, or approved
h.ajj, pilgrimage (to Makkah)
h.arām, prohibited, forbidden, unlawful, sinful
h.ujjah, proof, evidence
h.ujjah z.annīyah (probable evidence).
h.ukm, (pl. ah.kām), legal judgement, law
‘ibādāt (sing. ‘ibādah) , acts of devotion, religious observances
ijmā‘, the consensus of the Muslim community
ijtihād, independent judgement in a legal question, based upon the interpretation and application of the Qur‘ān and the Sunnah
‘illah, cause, reason
Imām, leader. It is used in a general sense, e.g., the leader in prayer, and in the particular sense of a community leader. Among the Shī‘ah the imāms take the place that the caliphs have among the Sunnī Muslims
Imāmah, leadership
īmān, faith, belief
istih.sān, preference, the application of discretion in a legal judgement
istithnā’, exception
i‘tiqādāt, articles of religious faith or practice
Jāhiliyyah, pre-Islamic paganism, (lit. state of ignorance)
jamā‘ah (pl. jamā‘āt), group, community
jamā‘āt (see jama‘ah above)
jamā‘ātu‘l-h.aqq, the community of the truth. It is used by Ibn H.azm in a general sense as the Muslism community, and in the particular sense of the followers of the Qur’ān and the genuine H...adīth
jinn, demons, genii, intelligent creatures of air and fire
jumhūr, mass
jumhūr al-‘ulamā’ , the ‘ulamā’ en masse (in the mass)
kalālah, a deceased person who has neither parents nor children to give his inheritance to
khabar, news, report
khabar khās.s.ah, a special report
khabar al-wāh.id (āh.ād ), a h.adīth reported by one chain of transmitters
khabar al-tawātur (mutawātir), a h.adīth handed down by many chains of unimpeachable transmitters
khalaf, the tābi‘ūn and other generations
khalīfah, caliph
khamr, intoxicant, wine, liquor
khawās.s., the élite who know the inner meaning of the nas.s.
khut.bah, sermon, especially the Friday sermon
kitāb, document, message
kufr, infidelity
kunyah, the name consisting of Abū (Father) or Umm (mother) followed usually by the name of the eldest son or daughter
madhhab, a school of law among Sunnī Muslims
ma‘dhūr, excused
madhmūm, reprehensible
mah.mūd, praised
ma’jūr, rewarded
ma‘lūm bi’l-d.arūrah, known by necessity
mamdūh., laudable
mandūb, recommended
mansūkh, abrogated
matn, text, the subject-matter of a h.adīth
mawlá, , client
minbar, pulpit
muh.kamah (pl. muh.kamāt), precise, clear verse of the Qur’ān
mujmal, a word which needs explanation taken from another one; what is implied in general terms or expressed by implication
mujtahid (pl. mujtahidīn), a legist who exercises ijtihād
mujtahidīn, (see mujtahid above)
munkar, reprehensible action
mutakallimīn (sing. mutakallim), Muslim theologians
mutashābihāt (sing. mutashābih), ambiguous verses of the Qur’ān
mutawātir, (see khabar al-tawātur above)
nadb, recommending
naqd, critique
nāsikh, abrogative
nas.s., the divine text
qād.ī, judge
qiyās, analogy, especially in jurisprudence
rak‘ah (pl. raka‘āt), unit in prayer, bowing
rasūl, messenger
ra’y, personal opinion
sabab al-nuzūl, the occasion on which the verse was revealed
s.ah.ābah, (sing. s.ah.ābī), companions of the Prophet
s.ah.ābī, (see s.ah.ābah above)
salaf, the first generation of the s.ah.ābah
s.alāh, prayer
sanad, chain of narration
shādhdh, deviating
sharī‘ah (pl. sharā’i‘), the canonical law of Islam; the body of regulations which makes up the religious law
shaykh, old man, leader of a tribe or a group, master, a title of respect
shubhah, judicial error
shudhūdh, deviation
sirriyyah, detachment
Sunnah (pl. sunan), properly a custom or practice, and later narrowed down to the practice of the Prophet or a h.adīth recording the same. Sunnah includes the Prophet’s sayings, deeds and tacit approval. In this respect often synonymous with adīth . Sunnah also means meritorious.
sūrah, a chapter or a section of the Qur’ān
tābi‘ī (pl. tābi‘īn), a person succeeding the generation of the s.ah.ābah
tābi‘ī tābi‘īn, the following of the following generation of the s.ah.ābah
tablīgh, conveyance of the message, religious instruction
tafsīr, commentary of the Qur’ān
t.ā’ifah, group, band, party
takhs.īs., specification
taqlīd, decision based on the authority of preceding generations
ta’wīl, interpretation, inner meaning
tawqīf, the teaching of the Prophet
ta‘zīr, discretionary punishment
thiqah (thiqāt), reliable authority
‘udūl, (see ‘adl above)
‘ulamā’, (see ‘ālim above)
ūlī ’l-amr, those who are in autority
umarā’, (see amīr above)
ummah, nation, people, party, community
ummu’l-walad, a slave-girl who has borne her master a child
us.ūl, (see as.l above)
uswah, model
wājib, obligatory
wazīr, vizier, minister
wud.ū’, ablution, the lesser cleansing necessary before prayers
yaqīn, certitude
z.āhir, apparent state of a thing
z.akāh, alms tax
z.ann, doubt, conjecture, uncertainty (in religion)